4 File Management
4.1 Theory
The developers of modern computers have gradually added barriers to creating reasonable file structures on a computer. Yet file management is critical to
- organize ideas,
- store and organize multiple documents associated with a single project,
- create a unique internal address that pinpoints the location of a file or folder,
- effectively code, and
- manage complex research projects.
File management is almost entirely inaccessible on most tablets and smartphones. It is still entirely possible on a computer but requires a few additional clicks and environment adjustments. As such, this section is designed for a Mac or PC computer, not a tablet. Similar principles apply to a Chromebook, but are not demonstrated here.
Tags provide useful additional organizational structure but can never replicate the unique internal address created by a file structure.
Path bars
The path bar lets you see where you files are located at all times, allows you to copy the address in text form, and lets you navigate up your folder tree by clicking on higher level folders in the path bar. It is useful in many contexts, and critical for coding projects. Alternate methods exist to do each of these tasks, but the path bar accomplishes all of them and is similar on Macs and PCs.
Mac
The path bar on a Mac is hidden by default, but can be displayed by clicking View > Show Path Bar in the Finder menu options. The path will appear at the bottom of the screen. The path can be copied by right clicking on the path and selecting “Copy path”.
PC
The path bar is always visible in Window’s File Explorer. To access the text version of the path, click into the blank white space next to the path bar.
Google Drive’s path, of a sort
Google Drive also has a folder structure, but it is not nearly as useful or accessible as Mac’s Finder or Window’s File Explorer. In particular, it is difficult to copy the path address (as of Summer 2025). That said, the path does appear at the top of your Google Drive screen. You may need to click three little dots to the left of the path to access the full path information.
File structure
Documents folder
On a Mac and PC, you should default to creating a file structure in the “Documents” folder. This is the location intended for permanent file storage for most users. There are alternatives, such as storing your files in a synced Google Drive or Dropbox account.
Note that your Downloads folder is intended for temporary storage. Many of the files you download, such as installers, are intended to be temporary files. Yet they can take up a lot of space. As such, good computer hygiene involves deleting your Downloads folder on a regular basis. This makes your Downloads folder uniquely unsuitable for permanent storage.
Clean out the Downloads folder
If you store your files in your Downloads folder, this can be hard to quickly fix. A temporary fix is available. Create a plausible file structure in your Documents folder, as described below. Move all contents of your Downloads folder to a folder named “Downloads (insert date)” inside your Documents folder. For all future downloads of potentially permanent files, save them in your Documents folder in a reasonable location. Over time, you can remove things from your Downloads folder. Delete unneeded files, and move others to reasonable locations in your Documents folder. Remove temptation to use your Downloads folder as permanent storage by regularly deleting all the files that end up there. They should all be temporary anyways.
Folder system principles
- Leverage the alpha-numeric ordering required by the Finder (Mac)/File Explorer (PC) programs.
- Start file and folder names with the year when applicable. Add the month and/or date after the year. Use spaces and punctuation strategically. For example, “2026 Summer” comes before “2026Fall”, because a space “ ” comes before “F” in the alpha-numeric order.
- Start commonly used files and folders with the beginning of the alphabet. Even putting “1” or “aa” at the beginning of a file or folder can be effective, albeit inelegant.
- Human brains track time-based categories well. When topics are nicely confined inside a time period, you can contain them in folders devoted to a year, season, semester, or quarter.
- Balance the depth of your folders (how many folders are nested within each other) and the breadth of your folders (how many folders are within one single folder). Too deep, and you will spend too much time clicking into folders. Too broad, and you will have a hard time finding the folder you want. One suggestion is to keep your regularly/recently used files fairly broad, and bucket your older/less used files into a few folders.
- Google “computer file structure principles” to find more information about file structure systems.
Example folder system
The following is an example of a folder system that has been used successfully by many students and faculty. You can download this example at this link: sample folder structure. Change the years to fit your situation, and adjust semester to quarters or any other subdivision as needed. Select the folder and press “F2” on a PC and “Enter” on a Mac to rename the folder.
Quick access/Favorites
Drag and drop regularly used folders into your “Quick Access” (PC) or “Favorites” (Mac) panel on the left side of your Finder (Mac)/File Explorer (PC).
Window management
Typical modern computer users swipe between screens. This is useful for consuming information. For managing information, you want to show the original location at the same time as the new organized location.
For files and folders, this means displaying a folder’s orgin at the same time as you see the window with its destination. You can then efficiently move and organize files and folders. For example, with the window configuration below, I can rapidly drag and drop the “Computer Skills” folder into my “all workshops” folder.
Saving files in Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office has begun to hide the file structure when you save a document. When you save a document (Save or Save As), the first screen tries to guess where you want to save it. If you have a clear file structure, its guess should only be accurate if you were working in the same location repetitively. This section demonstrates how to access your file structure via the Browse button (PC) or a downward facing button (Mac).
An alternative to this section is to change the setting permanently. Google “customize the save experience in office”.
Your screen may look slightly different than what is shown here. If it is too different to interpret, Google “Browse file structure from save word” to find a guide suited to your computer’s environment.
PC
On a PC, click “Browse” from the “Save” or “Save As” screen. In the resulting File Explorer window, browse to the appropriate folder and click “Save”.
Mac
On a Mac, click the downward facing arrow next to “Where” from the “Save” or “Save As” screen. In the resulting Finder window, browse to the appropriate folder and click “Save”.
4.2 Practice
Tasks:
- If you are on a Mac, set up your Finder window so that the path bar is visible at the bottom of the window.
- Set up and/or clean up your file structure. This will take a substantial amount of time. I recommend spending 10 minutes now to set up the general organization structure. Then schedule an hour in the next week to make progress on your organization. If you store files in your Downloads folder, pay particular attention to the section on cleaning out the Downloads folder.
- Open a Finder (Mac)/File Explorer (PC) window.
- Copy the path of one folder. You do not need to do anything with it, just know that you can copy it.
- Open a new window with Cmd+n (Mac)/Ctrl+n (PC). Open a different folder in one of the windows.
- Create a new folder (in either window) using Cmd+shift+n (Mac)/Ctrl+shift+n (PC).
- Rename that folder.
- Move the folder to your second window by dragging and dropping it.
- Cmd+z (Mac) or Ctrl+z (PC) to undo the move.
The following video shows an example of tasks 5-8.